Speeds surge in O2 4G trial

O2's 4G trial in central London has hit speeds comparable to the fastest home broadband connections, the operator has revealed.

As the latest stage of the UK-wide digital switchover finishes today (18 April), with London turning off its analogue services, the operator has released details of its trial, which has been running in central London since December 2011. O2 said download speeds have hit as high as 150Mbps. Many of the 1,000 people in the trial have had speeds of between 20-50Mbps, around 20 times faster than 3G rates.

The operator said 4G will lead to a revolution in cloud-based services, with 40MB files downloaded on the move within seconds. The most active members have been downloading 200GB per month using a Samsung dongle or personal MiFi hotspot.

O2 claimed the results of the trial showed the pent-up demand for 4G services, which it said it will be able to roll out next year after the forthcoming auction.

O2 CEO Ronan Dunne said: 'The forthcoming spectrum auction is a watershed moment for the UK mobile industry, releasing the airwaves that will power a whole range of exciting next generation mobile services. The new spectrum will increase capacity, quality and speed (we estimate that mobile broadband capacity will increase by 20 to 40 times from today’s levels), and will allow us to deliver true connectivity through a suite of innovative digital services, that work seamlessly and at speed for the benefit of consumers, business and UK plc.'

The trial has been running across 25 sites in London across a 40 sq km area, from Hyde Park to Canary Wharf. The operator invited 1,000 consumers and businesses to take part in the trial.